Top 10 penthouses for under £500,000

How much must you pay for a penthouse view? The answer is: not as much as you
might think.

Once the preserve of the pampered rich, penthouses have become increasingly
affordable thanks to realistic developers. They understand that buyers want
lofty luxury, but at bargain-basement prices.

Penthouses started life in the Twenties when builders in the United States
realised buyers could enjoy not just spectacular views, but better spaces at
the top. Since then, the penthouse has become a byword for glamorous chic.
Accordingly, it has won numerous celebrity fans: anyone who is anyone has
grabbed a top-floor crash-pad. Earlier this year Michael Stipe, the lead
singer of REM, put his Manhattan penthouse on the market for £6.9 million.
Last year, a New York home, which was once owned by the hip-hop star Jay-Z
sold for £19.4million.

Jeffrey Archer, meanwhile, owns a pad in Vauxhall, south London. This was the
venue for his famous shepherd’s pie and Krug parties, where he treated
society guests to the food they remember from childhood (and expensive
booze). Clearly, in some places, penthouse prices remain sky-high.

But those of us with more modest means can enjoy top-notch apartments, too.
Here are 10 of the best from across Britain, all priced under £500,000. Some
have sea views, while others overlook many of our great cities.

1 Newquay, Cornwall

This scheme is just a few streets inland from the beach. But from the top
floor of the four-storey Ocean Views you have an almost 180-degree view of
the Atlantic. The internal floorplan allows up to three bedrooms and there
is a choice of layouts for early buyers. £350,000 from Chartedge (01803
863108; chartsedge.co.uk) and David Ball Agencies (01637 850850; davidballestateagents.co.uk).